Congrats for the ambition to make the change! Going gluten-free and vegan at once can be a little daunting. I recommend setting aside some extra time every day to making sure you can prepare meals ahead of time. It'll decrease your temptation to reach for processed foods, and you'll be able to prepare your veggies exactly the way you like them, as opposed to getting soggy/salty ones from cans or frozen packages. Plus, getting more acquainted with vegetables might help you appreciate them more.

I also recommend getting into ethnic food! You might be surprised how seldom wheat and meat are used in traditional foods in other countries. It'll help you expand your grain horizons past rice and bread--try buckwheat, quinoa, shirataki, amaranth, spelt, etc. I do a lot of Wikipedia research into African, Indian, Middle Eastern, Japanese, and Eastern European regional cuisine so I don't fall back on peanut butter and apples all the time. Hope you have fun with it!

I just noticed this thread, but I wanted to recommend Happy Herbivore's Meal plans. There is a subscription fee, about $5 a week, but she plans everything, you get the recipes and a grocery list and a week of meals planned out. There are two options, individual which is just enough food for one person with no left overs (unless planned for in the meal plan) and family that serves 4 people. I have been using them for a few months and I love them. They are planed out for 1200 calories a day, but she includes a calorie list, a list of 50 calorie and 100 calorie snack idea if you need more calories in a day.

BILBY4- I agree, a meal plan would be helpful! I did that back when I went Gluten Free for the first time and it was helpful, because otherwise I would have been surviving on soy crisps and hummus. LOL I will do some research, I also find that since keeping my nutrition tracker and logging "Favorites" to be a helpful reminder of things I can eat and helps with my weekly shopping trips. :)

hey happy to help out, try and experiment with the veggies, i really love a mash combination , all different combinations you can try, sweet potato/carrot and parsnip , mash and then add in some veggies stock powder and some chopped chives and pepper and heat and it is yummy also cauliflower/pumpkin and potato mashed tastes awesome to, just give them a try you might be surprised as sometimes things dont sound yummy but then when you try them they are, good luck cheers Stoley

STOLEY- I'm glad to hear you had success with weight loss, I'm truly hoping that mine will fall off soon! LOL Im beyond frustrated...but I need to be patient and focus on getting healthy and the weight will follow. As far as being a veggie lover... I am not but i focus everyday to test what I can tolerate and try and find a way to prepare it so I stick with it. Thanks for your feedback!

I'd suggest doing a search for 'vegan meal plan'. Lots will come up. Some have fancier recipes than others. Some come with shopping lists. Some are arranged so you can cook a week's meals in 2 hours. Some have subscription ($) services but will provide a new plan every week. It's a matter of finding what suits you, but most people find some kind of plan useful in making a transition and building up your repertoire of 'go-to' meal solutions. best wishes for your diet change, Alan

good on you it will be the best thing you ever do not only for your weight but for your health. As soon as i decided to go vegan i did it full steam ahead straight into it, i didnt miss a thing really once i set my mind to it i wanted to do it straight away. The weight fell off and i NEVER measure , weigh and watch my portions and i still do not have any weight issues, it is great to be able to eat when i want and how much i want as i have a big appetite, but i love my veggies which i guess would be an advantage. it is good to try and experiment with the things vegan that you do like and i found there is always a great vegan replacement for most foods you like, give it a go and dont beat yourself up about slipping up while transit through, good luck, cheers

Hi Everyone! I am new to SP and this group. I suffer from gluten intolerance as well as gastroparesis. When I was first diagnosed about 3+ yrs ago I was on a strict dairy, gluten and sugar free diet and I felt amazing but over the past year I stopped the diet and ate whatever I wanted and in turn paid the price not only by gaining 15lbs but also compromising my health. 3 weeks ago I began my diet and am currently 100% GF and Dairy free...since I don't eat a lot of meat or try not to I decided to try being vegan and it has been somewhat simple, however I have spent most of my life consuming processed foods and now I am finding my meals to require a lot of planning, which I have not had to do for a while. I also was not a huge vegetable fan and I have spent the last week forcing myself to try new vegetables and recipes to find what I like so I have more of a variety of options. I would love some tips on how to ease the process of trying to be vegan when your previous lifestyle was anything but. I look forward to hearing your stories and also how going Veg help with your weight loss goals and how quickly you noticed a change!

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